1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to hand tools. In particular, the invention relates to hand tools for driving nails.
2. Description of Related Art
There are many circumstances in which it is difficult to drive a nail, particularly using a hammer. For example, a nail may need to be driven into a small area, or into a corner. A pipe or some other obstruction may hamper the use of a hammer on the nail.
Hand held nail drivers have been devised for use in circumstances in which a hammer is impractical. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,475, issued Nov. 20, 1984, to Whitaker, discloses a simple hand held nail driver. The Whitaker device includes a cylindrical guide tube and a plunger rod. A handle is mounted on one end of the plunger rod, and the plunger rod is inserted into the guide tube. A nail is placed into the guide tube, and the handle is moved to cause the plunger rod to strike the nail, driving the nail into a surface. The guide tube is then held in place, as the handle is pulled back to retract the plunger rod from the guide tube.